After a surprise draw that landed them in the Clemson Regional to start the tournament, the Tennessee Volunteers now find themselves in their third consecutive Super Regional Round. Next up for the Vols is Southern Mississippi, who got past No. 13 overall seed Auburn and company in their regional.
Neither the Vols nor the Golden Eagles were regional hosts but found a way to get this far. They will both be looking to recapture some of the magic that got them to this point to make it to the College World Series.
The series opener is Saturday, June 10, at 3 p.m. ET. The second and third games will be played Sunday and Monday. Start times for those games will be determined following Friday’s action across the tournament.
Let’s take a look at the odds for Tennessee’s Super Regional this week in Hattiesburg, Miss.
Wager on the Vols with a $2,500 No Sweat First Bet from FanDuel Sportsbook
Tennessee Super Regional Odds
The tough break of having to travel the Vols received for the regional round may have given them their best shot to make it to the CWS. Tennessee is favored for Game 1 of their matchup with Southern Mississippi and the overall favorite to win the series. The Vols’ moneyline price for Game 1 on the major online sportsbooks is anywhere from -145 to -150.
Here are the odds for each team to win the series and advance to the CWS.
- Tennessee -176
- Southern Miss +144
- Tennessee -165
- Southern Miss +135
With the exception of one game, Southern Mississippi dominated offensively in the regional round, scoring at least seven runs in each of the next four games after losing the opening matchup to Samford in 10 innings. The Golden Eagles’ streaky but hot hitting proved to be too much for their opponents as they cruised to victory. Most notable of their streaky hitters during the regional was Dustin Dickerson, who accumulated four home runs and 10 RBIs during their four-game win streak.
However, no one was hotter than Clemson or even Cam Fisher of the Charlotte 49ers in the Clemson Regional, and Tennessee found a way to get it done thanks to stellar pitching. The Vols have the second-best ERA in the nation behind only Wake Forest, but they lead everyone with 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings. They are also near the best in hits and walks allowed per nine innings. Their pitching showed up in a major way in the regional round, giving up a high of five runs in 14 innings against Clemson.
The three-headed monster of Andrew Lindsey, Chase Dollander, and Drew Beam performed well, helping the Vols go undefeated in the opening round. If the same version of that trio shows up in this series, their odds of moving on are favorable. The last team the Golden Eagles faced with a pitching staff anywhere near that of the Vols’ was April 11 against Alabama, and they lost 13-0.
Southern Mississippi does have a solid pitching staff of its own. Its pitching-by-committee approach helped earn an ERA good enough for No. 32 in the nation. That’s not bad, but their competition in Conference USA wasn’t exactly lights out. The Vols’ bats should be able to find enough offense to carry them in the series, especially the likes of Christian Moore, who finished their three regional games with five home runs and seven RBIs.
Bet on the Super Regionals with a $1,000 first-bet bonus from BetMGM Sportsbook
College World Series Odds
At the start of the Clemson Regional, Tennessee’s odds of winning the College World Series sat around +1800 to +2000 on the top online sportsbooks. After sweeping the series, their odds saw a significant increase.
Here are the updated odds for 15 of the 16 remaining teams. Alabama will face Wake Forest in a Super Regional this weekend but is not listed in the odds due to suspicious betting activity involving its former coach this season.
| TEAM | DraftKings | Caesars |
|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | +380 | +300 |
| Virginia | +600 | +750 |
| LSU | +650 | +450 |
| Florida | +700 | +500 |
| Tennessee | +900 | +1000 |
| South Carolina | +1200 | +1500 |
| Kentucky | +1200 | +1500 |
| TCU | +1500 | +800 |
| Oregon | +1500 | +2600 |
| Stanford | +1600 | +1400 |
| Texas | +2000 | +2000 |
| Duke | +2500 | +2200 |
| Southern Mississippi | +3500 | +2500 |
| Indiana State | +3500 | +3000 |
| Oral Roberts | +4000 | +4000 |
With one of the best pitching staffs in the nation, The Vols are right in the thick of the hunt. It will come down to whether or not their offense will show up. So far, it has. Against Clemson, they fell behind 4-1 thanks to a four-run inning from the Tigers. The Vols responded with a three-run inning in the ninth to extend the game.
That’s a great sign going forward as they are sure to continue to be tested as the competition tightens.
Wager on the College World Series with $1,250 from Caesars Sportsbook
